The invention relates to earth-moving machinery and particularly to such machinery that digs out and displaces earth.
Earth-moving machinery replaces manpower. Its efficiency depends on how many men or other machines it can replace. One basic measure of efficiency is cubic yards of material per operator. Other measures relate to cubic yards displaced per hour and cubic yards displaced per horsepower. The first and the second measures are most important. Natural soil and mineral veins vary in density, hardness and moisture content, and therefore in weight per cubic yard and in cutting resistance. All of these factors affect the rate of material removal. I have invented apparatus for a large range of material handling which is not only versatile in scope of materials handled, but is adaptable to many work situations, and is easily repaired and moved along its own work path. The invention has as its objectives accomplishment of all or some of the functions of the bulldozer, either wheeled or crawler type, ripper, the back hoe, the trencher-ditcher, a bucket loader and drag line, as well as tunneling and boring machines, coal seam digging machines and scrapers of the pull type or self-propelled or push type. For short distances, the apparatus of the invention has as an objective the replacement of the conventional short haul vehicles.